The big news locally for those who are interested in wineries was that Paumanok Vineyards bought Palmer Vineyards. My review will apply to the wines for the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the future brought some changes. According to one article I read, Paumanok’s winemaker will take over at Palmer. It will be interesting to return in a couple of years to see how they’re doing.

Meanwhile, this was our first visit to Palmer since 2016, since a couple of times we stopped by and found the place too noisy and crowded for our comfort. So we decided to try a Friday afternoon, and found we had the place to ourselves, aside from a few people out on the covered porch area. The last time we came we sat out there, since we were with relatives who had brought their dog with them, and we also shared a cheese platter. We didn’t get one this time, but do note that they do not allow outside food.

We like the cozy pub-like booths.

After discussing the menu with the manager and each other, we decided to share two tastings, one of the whites and one of the reds, and settled into a booth. We enjoy the décor at Palmer, which reminds us of our favorite British pubs, with cozy booths and old signs. We only wish we liked the wines better. They are all drinkable, but only one was a standout as far as I’m concerned. The menu offers three options, all for four wines for $16 to $18. My husband characterized the pour as “micro”: each taste was just that, about two sips per person.

2016 Viognier $24.99

Only a few North Fork wineries offer viognier, which is too bad, as I tend to like wines made from this grape. This one is dry, with an aroma of baked pear, and some nice fruit tastes plus minerality. The menu says it tastes like quince. Maybe.

Small pour!

2016 Aromatico $24.99

Often when a wine has a name other than the varietal it is a blend, and that is true of this one, which the manager tells me is, he thinks, 60% muscat and 40% malvasia. Steel fermented. When I hear muscat I wonder whether it will be sweet, but this one is not. It’s fairly interesting, not your average Long Island white, with, according to my tasting pal, “lots of body for a white.” There’s a taste of gooseberries and a tanginess to it that would make it a good match for the scallops we picked up earlier at Braun’s.

2016 Gewürztraminer $23.99

Uh-oh. The manager describes this as “semi-sweet.” Too sweet for us! It smells like honey and nutmeg, but actually doesn’t have much flavor. There’s a trace of a chemical flavor I dislike, and we dump the last little bit of the small taste.

2017 Sparkling Rouge Rosé $21.99

He pours this from a partly used bottle with one of those champagne re-sealing corks in it, and at the end I ask him if perhaps it had lost its sparkle by the time he poured our taste. No, he replies, it’s just not a very bubbly sparkler. My husband says it has NDA—no detectable aroma. Not even the strawberry one would expect from a rosé. It is at least dry, but if you want a sparkling rosé I suggest you seek out Croteaux’s. Vintage liquor store in the Mattituck shopping center carries all of their wines now.

Not very sparkling and not very rose.

2015 Merlot (No price on the menu, but the 2014 is $24.99.)

As I told my brother the last time we were here, merlot is the Ford of North Fork reds, the reliable grapes that almost everyone grows (despite the opprobrium they got in the movie Sideways). As expected, it has a cherry aroma and flavor, plus maybe some purple plum. Dry, with faint tannins and a short finish, it is aged twelve months in French oak. You could have this with lamb chops, or even roast chicken, but it would not stand up to a steak.

2013 Old Roots Merlot $34.99

Why Old Roots? Not surprisingly, because these grapes come from the oldest vines on the property, dating back thirty-five years. The grapes are hand harvested, and aged for eighteen months, leading to a slightly more intense merlot experience than the previous taste. Lots of cherry flavor, but no depth, is our verdict. Maybe you could have it with grilled sausages, like the ones 8 Hands Farm makes.

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon $28.99

According to the menu, the tastes for this include “subtle cigar box.” Not sure what that is, but there is a smokiness to the aroma. Not complex, it has lots of fruit flavor and is pleasant enough to be a wine one could sip as an aperitif.

Fake signs

Real sign

2013 Cabernet Franc $28.99

The previous wine is aged for twelve months, while this one ages for eighteen, and it is more complex. The aroma includes fruit and tobacco, and we taste plums and other dark fruits. Not much tannin. I remember a dish I used to make, of tongue in a pickle sauce, and think this would go with that.

A glimpse of the covered porch. We decided to stay in the air conditioning!

Reasons to visit: pleasant tasting room which looks like an English pub, plus a wide covered porch for outside tastings; the Aromatico and the Cabernet Franc; they serve pitchers of water if you ask; dogs are allowed outside. Note—the first building you come to is a “self-guided” tour of the winemaking facility, so pull around to the back for the tasting room.

This is the first building you see, but the tasting room is around the back.

“Well, we’ll just have to come back,” we decided, after sharing one tasting of Greenport Harbor beers left us feeling we’d had enough for one day. It was finally warm enough to feel that beer should be the drink of choice, so we headed to Greenport Harbor’s large facility on the corner of Peconic Lane and Main Road. They also have a smaller tasting room in the village of Greenport.

Two views of the bar tasting room. Note pooch. They are allowed in this room and outside, but not in the restaurant.

This place is quite large, though it does fill up on summer weekends, with two rooms. The first one is for ordering beer and tastings, with a side area of GH-related gifts, and the second one is a restaurant area, where dogs are not allowed. So if you want to get food, be sure you have someone to hang onto your pooch either in the first room or outside while you do so.

The restaurant room is also roomy.

The counter where you order food, plus the beers they have at that spot.

Food menu

You may remember that I noted one could do a walking/drinking tour on Peconic Lane, and end up at GH. There, you can spend some time sitting outside in the Adirondack chairs or at a picnic table and have lunch. They have quite an extensive menu of snacks and real food, from the Űber Pretzel for $11.50 to salads, sandwiches, and a lobster roll for $25. You order at the counter and they give you a square object which vibrates quite violently when your food is ready to be picked up. We got the Űber Pretzel, which was quite large, very hot, and came with mustard and a warm cheese dipping sauce. Not bad, but it lacked the yeasty bite of a New York City street pretzel. Too soft and sweet for me—but we devoured it anyway.

You also order your beer at a counter, where you can get a tasting of five beers for $12 or glasses or growler fills for varying prices. The tasting comes in pretty little bell-shaped glasses which fit into a whale-shaped carrier (GH used to sell you the glass, which you then filled with your choice of beers. We have quite a collection.). You leave your credit card with the server, who returns it and charges your account when you return the glasses. Clever. We saw quite a few people carrying their tasting outside or to a table over on the restaurant side of the place. We also saw many people just getting glasses of beer and sitting and sipping. Kids were throwing a Frisbee around outside.

The rather extensive beer menu.

We stood at the bar and studied the beer menu, which consists of fifteen choices divided into three categories: Year Round, Limited Release, and The OG (Original Greenport) Series. Within these categories there are various styles, including lagers, ales, IPAs, stouts, bocks, and a Berliner Weisse. How to choose? The server gave us a slip of paper and a pen, and told us to write down our choices. So we did, going for a variety of styles, writing them down in the order in which we happened to choose them. (By the way, you can also buy their beers in cans and bottles, often available at local grocery stores and beer distributors.)

Beers available in cans, but note, no consumption of the cans or growlers while you’re there.

Then she carefully filled the glasses in the order in which we had written them, and returned our slip of paper with instructions to drink them “from head to tail of the whale.” Wait a second. We had started by choosing a porter, and our last choice was a brown ale. Surely that was not the order in which one should drink them!? She was very happy to write down the best sequence, and as we sipped we decided she had been quite right. So be forewarned—be sure to ask that question. As in a wine tasting, order matters. You don’t want to go from a heavy porter to a light lager, or the lager will taste like nothing. I think one change GH should make is to automatically have servers point that out.

Our list, with her added re-numbering for the order in which to drink them.

Tidal Lager 5.3% ABV

The ABV percentage is something you see next to each beer, and it refers to “alcohol by volume.” It is listed because beers can vary widely in how alcoholic they are, from, in the case of our choices, 5% to 9.4%. Tidal Lager is described as a “Vienna Lager,” a particular style of lager you can look up on the web. This version of it is quite light, though also very tasty, with notes of toast and oatmeal cookies. This is a good summer beer, nice for sipping on the deck on a hot day.

Our tasting, which was plenty to drink for the two of us.

Maibock 7% ABV

We asked our server about this one, as we were contemplating what to choose, and she launched into a mini-essay on how good it is and how much she likes it. I can see why. I described it as a “classic good beer,” full-bodied but not heavy. My husband said it was “toasty and creamy.” It has a touch of sweetness, and would go great with spicy grilled sausages (maybe some of the sausages from 8 Hands Farm).

Hopnami 9.4% ABV

If you like a really hoppy, grapefruity IPA, this is the beer for you. We don’t. It tastes more like a breakfast juice than a beer, and smells like grapefruit juice, too. And I think it’s a bit dangerous, because you could easily guzzle it down—and look at the ABV!

There are some interesting non-alcoholic drinks available as well.

Black Duck Porter 5% ABV

It was easy to decide to taste this one, since it is one of our favorites. We’ve bought it in bottles from our local supermarket but, no surprise, it tastes better fresh on tap. This is a lovely dark beer, with tastes of coffee and chocolate. As we sipped, we reminisced about our favorite pubs in England and Ireland. It would go great with shepherd’s pie or a nice lamb stew (hold the mushy peas).

Kettle Cookies and Coffee Oatmeal Brown Ale 5.3% ABV

I had to try this one, since it is made with NoFoRoCo (North Fork Roasting Company) coffee. And yes, it smells and tastes like coffee, like a good espresso with just a touch of sugar. However, I don’t think I would enjoy a whole glass of this. It barely seems like a beer. Between this and Hopnami, you could have quite the boozy breakfast.

Reasons to visit: good beer in an expansive setting; nice menu of sandwiches, etc., which, they boast, are often made with local ingredients; the Tidal Lager, Maibock, and Black Duck Perter; generous pour for a tasting; you can fill your growler and take some home; live music sometimes; fun t-shirts. We’ll be back to try some more. I calculate we need to come at least two more times to try all fifteen!

Another view of the expansive lawn

This was sitting by the entrance. I assume it is some piece of “antique” brewing equipment, which fits with the North Fork aesthetic of old farm equipment as lawn ornaments.

The yeasty, tomatoey scent of baking pizza filled the small tasting room at Diliberto winery. Most of the people there seemed to have come for a glass or two of red wine and one of Sal’s thin-crust pizzas. Well, it was around one p.m. on Friday, so I guess it was lunch time. The pizza certainly smelled and looked good, and one of the customers told us as she was leaving that it tasted good, too, recommending that we get one. However, we were not hungry, so we settled on just a tasting.

I waited until people left so I could get a good shot of the mural.

The tasting room at Diliberto is small, but very pretty, with trompe l’oeil paintings on the wall to give you the sensation that you are sitting in an Italian piazza. The Visions series films, aerial views of Italy, play on the flat screen TV over the piano, and when it is quiet you can hear music from Italian operas playing in the background. What you won’t hear is the voices of children, since Diliberto’s has a strict “No one under 21” policy, with the addendum “including children.” They also do not allow outside food, but since most people seem to come for the $19 pizza, that’s not a problem. The menu includes a few other food items, and on Sundays they feature a full meal—details on their web page.

The wine menu features six wines, at $4 per taste or $10 for any three tastes. Wines are also available by the glass or bottle, with an additional charge if you want to drink the bottle in the winery. (For example, the Chardonnay is $22 for a bottle, but $27 if you want to drink it there.) The wines cost $8-$12 for a glass. We decided to try all six wines, or two tastings, which the server brought to our table all at once.

In the past, we’ve always spent time chatting with Sal Diliberto, but this time he was not in the winery. The young woman who was waiting on the tables was very pleasant, but clearly her job was not to discuss the wines. My guess is that he is there on Sundays, since the dinner includes a cooking demo, and he used to do those for free on the weekends.

This sign reminded me of how my Italian friends like to reminisce about Sunday family dinners, always with “gravy”–a.k.a. spaghetti sauce.

2016 Chardonnay $22

This is an oaked chardonnay, and, according to the menu, spends “five months in French oak,” so I was expecting lots of butterscotch and vanilla. Not so. I wonder if he mixes it with steel-fermented chardonnay, since it has a fair amount of citrus flavor. My husband describes it as “refreshing.” It is surprisingly tart, with only a hint of vanilla. Very drinkable, and would be nice with some charcuterie.

Our two flights were delivered all at once, and the server carefully pointed out which wine each one was.

2016 Sauvignon Blanc $19

I would have put this first in the tasting, since it is steel-fermented and quite light. It has some asparagus aroma, and tastes more like an orange or tangerine than a lemon. It also has a fair amount of minerality and saltiness. “Fire Island on the beach,” began my tasting buddy, waxing poetic as he sometimes does.

2016 Rosé $17

Now it was time for the menu writer to get poetic, describing this wine as perfect for “life on the patio with friends.” Well, yes, if your friends are not particularly interested in taste, since this rosé has very little. There’s nothing objectionable about this light, minerally rosé, with its taste of unripe strawberry and citrus, but we felt the aroma and taste were equally undistinguished.

2013 Merlot $19

All along I’ve been complaining that it is hard to decide how the wine smells because the aroma of pizza is so strong. Now I think this one smells like mushrooms, and I’d think it was because of the pizza, but there are no mushrooms on it. In any event, this is an okay merlot, rather tannic and even a bit harsh, with some black raspberry and nutmeg flavor. No cherry taste! We must have gotten the last glass in the bottle, as our taste has some sediment at the bottom.

There’s some sediment on the bottom of our glass of merlot.

2014 Cantina $22

Phew, this one is much better. A 50/50 blend of merlot and cabernet franc, this has aromas of cherry and tobacco and tastes of fruit and spice—more spice than fruit. Light and not complex, this is the sort of red that goes well with roast chicken (like the one I am planning to make with an 8 Hands chicken tonight) or pizza and pasta.

At Diliberto, you don’t stand at the bar for a tasting. They bring it to your seat.

2014 Tre $26

According to the menu, this one is only made in the best vintage years, of a blend of 65% merlot, 20% cabernet sauvignon, and 15% cabernet franc. I swear it smells like eggplant, though perhaps that’s because I’m trying to decide what I will make with the lovely eggplant I bought at a farm stand this morning. Anyway, the wine is quite good, with lots of black cherry and purple plum tastes. Dry, with some tannins, we think it might get better with age. My husband says it has “the backbone to deal with food,” and I suggest osso buco as a possible dish.

The flat screen TV shows scenes of Italy. I hear the piano gets used for various musical events.

Reasons to visit: you have a hankering for a glass of red (I suggest the Tre) and a pizza; you want a quiet, intimate setting for a tasting; the Sauvignon Blanc and the Tre; you don’t mind that they don’t allow children or outside food; you like relatively simple but well-priced wines.

The warm weather could fool you into thinking it is still summer, until you look at the vines and see that most of the grapes have been harvested.

On the coldest day so far this winter, we ventured forth to do some errands and a wine tasting. We paid our final visits until spring to Bayview (potatoes and Brussels sprouts) and Briermere (last pie for months to come, a yummy blackberry apple), and then headed to Jamesport for a tasting. In the past, we’d been there in warm weather and had enjoyed sitting outside on their pretty patio, watching families frolic in the capacious back yard and enjoying oysters. Some day, we decided, we’d have to return to try the flatbreads from their outdoor wood-fired oven. But now it was winter, very quiet, and rather chilly. The only other occupants of the tasting room were a small party enjoying a bottle of wine at one of the tables. There are a few small tables and a long bar along one side. Not much is on offer by way of merchandise aside from the wines. We stepped up to the bar, and eventually the pleasant young woman behind it came over and asked us if we wanted to do a tasting.

Plenty of room at the bar on this cold winter Friday.

Also room at the tables…

We did, but first we needed some time to peruse the menu. A tasting consists of any five of their wines for $18, so we decided to share one, even though that meant we had to skip many of the wines. The menu offers nine whites (including one sparkling), seven reds (which includes a rosé, though some places list the rosé with the whites), two dessert wines, and a non-alcoholic verjus. No guidance from the server being on offer, we made up our own minds. As Christmas music tinkled in the background, we signaled her that we were ready for our first taste.

2015 Estate Sauvignon Blanc $21.95

In the past we’ve enjoyed their steel fermented East End Sauvignon Blanc with our oysters, so we decided it was time to try their other sauvignon blanc, one that is also steel fermented but spends some time in “oak puncheons.” The aroma is mostly vegetal, with a hint of cat pee. The server describes it as “New Zealand style.” We sniff and sip. Nicely dry, with a touch of sweetness on the tongue. I taste pineapple, and my tasting buddy says he can taste the oak. Maybe a little.

2013 Estate Riesling (Dry) $25.95

Described on the menu as “trocken”—which means dry in the German style—and by our server as having “no residual sugar,” this is indeed quite dry. In fact, I find it rather sour. My husband disagrees, though he agrees with my assessment that this is not my favorite riesling. I think it smells somewhat chemical, with a whiff of apricot pits (arsenic, anyone?). I taste hard green apricots and not ripe apple. He likes it better than I do, though in general we both favor dry rieslings.

2014 East End Cinq Red $18.95

Now we move to the reds, and get a clean glass. By the way, we like their glasses very much—stemless and round-bottomed, they work well to warm the wines which, as in many places, are all served too cold. If you know French, you may already have guessed that this is a blend of five grapes—cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, and pinot noir. Our server disappears to take a phone call before we can ask her about the proportions. The bottle was just opened, which might account for a smell my husband characterizes as gasoline. I’m not sure I agree (we seem to have more differences of opinion than usual today!), but I do get a bit of a sweet chemical aroma in addition to the expected red fruit smells. We do, however, agree that the wine has more aroma than taste, and it is dry but not at all tannic. I think it is a bit unbalanced, though I like the slightly peppery note at the end. I would say just okay, a red you could have with roast chicken or lamb chops but not with Italian food or steak.

2014 Thiméo Reserve $74.95

“How is this pronounced?” we ask our server before she can disappear again, “And where did the name come from?” She replies, “Timeo, and it is named for the grandson of the French man who makes our barrels, Jean Louis Bossuet. We collaborated with him to make this wine.” While we have her, we ask about the grapes. “75% merlot and 25% cabernet franc,” she replies, and is off to the far end of the bar before we can ask her why this one is so expensive. Oh well. It smells good; we detect lots of cocoa and some of the oak. We try warming the glass in our palms to try to get a better idea of the taste, since we find it nice but not $75 nice. Lots of tannins, so perhaps it would age well. I decide to use a phrase I’ve seen lots of times, “It shows promise.” My husband says you’d have to have an awful lot of faith in promises to buy it at that price.

My favorite of the day, the syrah. We also liked the glasses.

2014 East End Syrah $18.95

Finally, a wine I really like! The menu—and our server—describe this as having been made in the “feminine style,” and therefore “not jammy.” The aroma is of warm spices, like cardamom, and dark fruit, the taste is dry but fruity. This would also pair well with lamb chops (maybe from 8 Hands Farm), but you wouldn’t want it with a very strong-flavored entrée, since it would be overwhelmed. If we needed a red, I could see getting a bottle of this.

Reasons to visit: come in the summer, when you can sit outside and enjoy music and snacks, like their wood-oven-baked flatbreads; the East End Syrah; in the past, we’ve liked their East End Sauvignon Blanc.